Google might launch its own smartphone this year

The new Google-made smartphone is speculated to release by the end of this year and is said to demonstrate the company’s tighter control over its hardware, software and services.TOI Tech | June 27, 2016, 17:16 IST

NEW DELHI: Gadget grapevine is again rife with speculations that search giant Google is finally launching its own smartphone, a move that will be bring the company into direct competition with smartphone vendors like Apple, Samsung, Huawei and others. According to a report in The Telegraph UK, Google is currently in talks with mobile operators regarding the release of its own handset.

The new Google-made smartphone is speculated to release by the end of this year and is said to demonstrate the company's tighter control over its hardware, software and services.

The news falls in line with what Google CEO Sundar Pichai told Recode last month. He said that the company is "investing more effort" into smartphones. He also added that Google will continue to support the Nexus devices, which this year are rumoured to be come with HTC branding. "Our plan is still to work with [other manufacturers]," he added.

For those unaware, Google until now has been taking help of other OEMs such as Huawei, LG, Motorola and more to expand its Nexus line up. The Nexus smartphones are said to help Google showcase the very best features of Android. Offering an stock Android experience, these smartphones are also the very first to get all latest Android updates.

The search giant also focussed on its operating systems on different platforms like Android and Chrome OS, along with some services like Gmail, Hangouts, YouTube and more.

Talking about the 2016 edition of Nexus smartphones, HTC is rumoured to be working on two Nexus devices, one with 5-inch display codenamed Sailfish and the other with 5.5-inch display codenamed Marlin.

Recent rumours also hint at Google working on an app for providing 'live customer support' on Nexus devices as well as redesigning its navigation buttons. Both the features are expected in the upcoming version of Android N.